Apparatus for guiding gripping means



June 19, 1951 H. L. YOUNG APPARATUS FOR GUIDING GRIPPING MEANS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001:. 21, 1947 H. L. YOUNG APPARATUS FOR GUIDINGGRIPPING MEANS June 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21, 1947Patented June 19, i951 APPARATUS FOR GUIDING GRIPRING MEAN S Harvey L.Young, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., a

corporation of New York Application October 21, 1947, Serial No. 781,233

2 Claims. (Cl. 271-2.1)

This invention relates to the tentering of sheet material such astextile material and is especially useful in guiding the gripping meanswhere it engages the fabric.

the treating of fabrics Where the fabric is to be dried after a wettingor coating operation, gripping members are successively applied to themargins of the fabric for the purpose of maintaining the width of thefabric during a drying operation. Difficulty has been experienced in H)for engaging chain I4 and support 36 is simie leading the grippers tothe margins of the fabric larly provided with stub shafts and sprocketsfor when the fabric varies in width or has wavy engaging chain l5.margins. For gripping the margins of the fabric, the The presentinvention has for its object to chains I i, i have secured thereto, atintervals overcome this difiiculty. i5 therealong, gripping members .45.Each gripping Another object is to provide for lateral adjust; memberhas a fixed jaw 46 and a movable jaw ment of the grippers to follow themargins of the ll hinged thereto, as at 48. A coil spring 49 fabricindependentl at opposite margins of the keeps the jaws closed, as inFigs. 2 and 5 except fabric, at the positions where the fabricapproaches and Further objects will appear from the following leaves thechains. description and the accompanying drawings. At the position ofapproach of the fabric 50 Of the drawings, in the region of sprocket 42,a cam bar 5| at- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus contached tothe gate-like support 35 engages a structed in accordance with andembodying the projecting arm 52 of the movable jaw 41 and invention,parts being broken away. 7 2 holds it open, as seen in Fig. 4 throughoutthe Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View thereof taken extent of the cambar. e on line Z; 9f Fig. l. At the leaving position, a stationary cambar Fig. 3 isa plan view of a portion'of the appa- 54 similarly engagesthe arm 52 of the movable ratus, jaw and opens the jaws to release thefabric Fig. 4 is a sectional detail View thereof, 'taken which proceedsabout aguide roller 55. n1in 4 ll0fFig 1, The invention provides formanipulating the Fig. .5 is a sectional detail view thereof, taken suppoting Sprockets M, 42 and through them online5-5 of Fig.1. the chains Hi,l5 and then grippers 45 at the Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of thecontrol position of entry of the fabric so as to follow mechanism andpiping. 5 the margins of the fabric. For this mrpose, Referring to thedrawings, the numeral [0 brackets 6| are fixed b0 the frame aiadesignates a treating chamber supported on a t e gate-like SWiIlgingpp 36 r frame H. The chamber may be provided with spectively and havefluid pressure operated cylinheating elements (not shown) for drying theders 62, 63 pivotally mounted thereon. Each fabric. A pair of endlesstentering chains I 4, 4O cylinder holds a piston 64 or 65 having apiston l5 extend in substantially parallel relation with rod 66 or 6!fixed thereto. The piston rods are portions thereof within and portionsthereof pivotally secured to swinging supports 35, 36 rewithout thechamber. Within the chamber, upspectively. Each cylinder contains acompression per and lower horizontal reaches of the chains coil spring68 or 69 between its piston and the are guided by guideways l6, l1, I8,I 9. Also rod end of the cylinder under compression and within thechamber are driving sprockets 20 normally tending to force the pistonrod inwardand guide sprockets '2l for engaging the chains. ly of thecylinder, thereby swinging the adjacent Driving sprockets 20 are fixedto a shaft 22 eX- Support 35 or 36 away from the adjacent margin tendingthrough the chamber and journaled in of the fabric. Pressure fluid tocounterbalance bearing secured to the chamber walls. Asprocket thespring is supplied to the head end of the 23 is fixed to shaft 22outside the chamber and cylinder from a supply line 15. The pressure isadapted to be driven by a chain 24 from a fluid, usually compressed air,enters cylinder 62 sprocket 25 on a speed reducer 26a which in turn byway of a branch line 16 and a valve 17. Simiis driven byamotor 26.larly, air enters cylinder 63 by way of a branch Guide sprockets 2| arefixed to a horizontal line 78 and a valve 19. A diaphra m p rated shaft21 journaled in bearings 28 which may be adjusted along guideways '29,as by adjusting screws 38 for tensioning the chains l4, I5. Outside .thechamber {9, portions of the chains I4, l5 are supported respectively ona pair of gatelike supports 35, 36 projecting from and hinged to thechamber, as at 31, 38. Support 3.5 has secured thereto, stub shafts 39,40 for rotatably supporting a pair of sprockets 4|, 42 respectively 3bleeder valve 80 is directly connected by a line 8| to the head end ofcylinder 62 and a similar bleeder valve 82 is connected directly tocylinder 63.

For holding the bleeder valves 88, 82 normally closed, the diaphragmchamber of each is connected to the supply line through a branch line byway of a pressure regulating valve. For this purpose, a branch line 83connects the diaphragm chamber of valve 80 through a pressure-regulatorvalve 84, a pressure gauge 85 and a cracked valve 86. A normallyspringclosed bleeder valve 81 is secured to swinging arm 35 and isconnected directly to the diaphragm chamber of valve '80. -The bleedervalve 81 has a finger 88 normally holding the valve 81 closed by reasonof its spring 88. A second bleeder valve 90 like valve 81 is mounted onswinging arm 36 and is connected to the chamber of valve 82. The fabricsheet 58 in approaching the chains l4, l passes between the fingers ofvalves 81 and 90.

The arrangement is such that line 15 supplies air under high pressure toa cylinder 62 forcing the arm 35 toward the margin of the fabric andwith it the sprockets, chain and grippers, the chamber of valve 88 beingsupplied with air at low pressure through pressure regulator 84 andcracked valve 86. by spring 89 until the finger 88 contacts the marginof fabric 50. At contact with fabric 58, valve 81 opens, releasingpressure on diaphragm of valve 80, thereby opening valve 80 releasingpressure in cylinder 62, whereupon spring 88 forces arm 35 away from themargin of the fabric. As arm 35 moves laterally, it moves chain l4 andits grippers therewith. The opposite swinging arm is similarlycontrolled by valve 90 to follow its fabric margin.

The operation of the apparatus will be apparent from the description ofthe mechanism. The valves being properly adjusted to regulate the airpressures on the valves, the fabric 58 is started by clamping it betweenopposite grippers. The motor 28 is then started to draw the fabric intothe apparatus. Thereafter the chains carrying the grippers areautomatically caused; to follow the adjacent margins of the fabric as itis presented thereto.

Very sensitive control of the apparatus is provided as the chains aremoved laterally to follow the margins and shifting of heavy rolls offabric is avoided.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the inventionas it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for treating sheet material, said Valve 88 is held closed,

apparatus comprising a pair of tentering chains each having grippers forclamping the margins of the sheet material, guide means for said chainscomprising a pair of generally parallel guide rails and in extensionthereof a pair of arms each pivoted for lateral swinging movement at anend of a guide rail in the plane of travel of one of said chains, eacharm having a free-running guide sprocket mounted thereon for engagingone of said chains in advance of said guide rails, cam means on saidarms for opening said grippers in the region of approach of the sheetmaterial to said grippers, means for swinging said arms toward and awayfrom the margins of the sheet material, means for controlling suchswinging movement, and fingers connected with the last said means forcontacting margins of said fabric and controlling said arm-swingingmeans to maintain alignment of the chains with said margins.

2. Apparatus for treating sheet material, said apparatus comprising apair of tentering chains each having grippers for clamping the marginsof the sheet material, guide means for said chains comprising a pair ofgenerally parallel guide rails and in extension thereof a pair of armseach pivoted for lateral swinging movement at an end of a guide rail inthe plane of travel of one of said chains, each arm having a pluralityof guide sprockets mounted thereon for engaging one of said chains inadvance of said guide rails, cam means on said arms for opening saidgrippers in the region of approach of the sheet material to saidgrippers, fiuid 0perated cylinders for swinging said arms toward andaway from the margins of the sheet material, valves for controlling saidcylinders in such swinging. movement, and fingers on said valves forcontacting margins of said fabric and controlling said arm-swingingmeans to maintain alignment of the chains with said margins.

HARVEY L. YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 977,146 Von Glahn Nov. 29, 19101,858,436 Dickhaut May 17, 1932 1,982,685 Muller Dec. 4, 1934 2,088,984Tandel Aug. 3, 1937 2,114,716 Kunzle Apr. 19, 1938 2,381,030 King Oct.5, 1943

